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Gear for Girls in Wooler on paying a decent wage

Alison Wright is the owner of Northumbrian SME Gear for Girls, providing outdoor and fitness clothing for women. The company was set up 10 years ago and employs 6 staff. 90% of their business is online.

It makes a huge difference to your staff
“We’ve always paid above the National Minimum Wage, it just seemed the right thing to do. You don’t want staff feeling that they are under pressure to support themselves and so it made sense to pay a decent wage. It really makes a huge difference to your staff if they’re being paid properly – they want to continue working for you and, if they are a happy workforce they want to put in their best effort. As a business, you get it back. I don’t think you get that if you don’t pay people a decent wage that they can live on.”

Reputation is everything
“For a business, your reputation is everything. And at the end of the day your business is about your staff- if your staff aren’t good your business won’t be good. You can’t separate the two. If you want good staff, you have to pay them at a level that they are comfortable with and so they know that they are being appreciated for what they do.”

The Government’s new National Living Wage becomes law in April. Make sure your business is ready. Visit gov.uk website for details.